


Breaking and Entering

by chapter_mint



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Blushing, Breaking and Entering, Comfort, Fluff, Gender-Neutral Apprentice (The Arcana), Literal Sleeping Together, Mentioned Asra (The Arcana), Other, Sleepovers, Tons of blushing, gender neutal reader, julian being a dork, shamelessly wrote this for myself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:55:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24484696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chapter_mint/pseuds/chapter_mint
Summary: Worried about the murder investigation and a certain doctor suspect, you find yourself having trouble falling asleep. Just before you finally black out, you hear a noise and go investigate its source
Relationships: Apprentice & Julian Devorak, Apprentice/Julian Devorak, Julian Devorak/Reader, Julian Devorak/You
Comments: 1
Kudos: 120





	Breaking and Entering

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this with my OC female apprentice in mind, but it's written in the first person and doesn't bring up the apprentice's gender (please let me know if this is not true and I will fix it!) so you're welcome to imagine your own apprentice filling in the role of narrator as you wish!

The city of Vesuvia lays quiet under this moonless night. At least my corner of it does, anyway. South End is usually up until all hours of the night, but there's none of that commotion going on here at my shop. We haven't been open in weeks, between Asra being gone and me working on the murder investigation. But even though the Countess gave me a guest suite to myself at the palace, I can't help but get homesick, and I like to come back at the end of a long day and process over everything I've found.

I finally blew out my last candle almost an hour ago, and I'm now lying in my bed, trying to wrestle myself into a deep sleep. Unfortunately I keep thinking about the murder investigation...specifically about a certain suspect. I have yet to find any concrete evidence that points to him being guilty or innocent. But the time I've spent with him...I can't shake the feeling that there's much more to it than the simple answer. He already admitted to the crime once...but he doesn't actually remember if that's true or not. He also just...doesn't seem the type. I just can't picture him a murderer. The feeling in my gut is telling me that something is very wrong about the crime, and that the truth has yet to be uncovered at all. It's that feeling that's keeping me from sleeping.

Just when my mind is finally slowing from it's rapid torrent of thoughts, I'm jolted awake by the sound of glass shattering from downstairs. I sit up in bed, listening in the darkness for anything else. I'm holding my breath, but I don't hear anything else. Maybe I imagined it, but I'd feel a lot better if I went to check to make sure everything was alright...

I quietly slip out of bed, pulling my robe more tightly around my shoulders. I whisper a charm to cover myself as I descend the stairs, not wanting to be seen first if there is indeed an intruder in the shop. I first check the back room. Nothing seems out of place here...

I hear shuffling in the room behind me. I hold my breath as I creep into sight of the front lobby of my store. It's too dark to see any details, but there, crouched on the floor, is the faint outline of a man hunching over and fretting. I silently focus my mind, preparing to cast an offensive spell at the intruder. He mutters to himself, and at the sound of his voice, I freeze on the spot.

"...Julian?" I whisper into the darkness. His reaction is immediate. He swears, and I see his form swirl on the spot and jolt upright. I make the lanterns and candles in the room flicker to life and I can finally see his face clearly.

"Y-you're not supposed to, ah, be awake." He's biting his lip, looking anywhere and everywhere but at me.

I look to the mess of glass on the floor. "Something woke me up."

His eye follows mine and his face turns a bright shade of red. He sweeps at the mess with his foot, attempting to hide it under the rug. "Oh, this? It's nothing to worry about, just a, ah, careless mistake is all..." The more he talks the brighter his blush turns.

"Mess aside, is there a reason you're breaking into my shop, again?" Julian's eye goes wide at the accusation, meeting mine for only a moment before he stares down at his feet.

He lets the question hang in the air for a moment before he responds. "It's just that...you remember telling me I needed to stop fretting and get more rest, right?" He looks at me expectantly, and I nod, though I'm unsure of where this is going. "A-anyway, I decided that you were probably...definitely right, and decided to give it my best shot."

Julian runs a hand through his mess of curls. "Thing is, we all know I'm not very good at relaxing, and...I just couldn't stop thinking about you and how you'd probably have a way to make this a lot easier for me, just like before." Julian finally looks me in the eyes and holds my gaze. His cheeks are still flushed warm, and the look of sincerity he's giving me is starting to make my face heat up a fraction as well. But if he notices, he doesn't indicate it.

"So breaking in and making a mess of the lobby is your idea of relaxation?" I don't even try to hide my amusement as a smirk tugs at the corner of my mouth.

"Yes, I-No! No that's-..this isn't what I had planned at all." He buries his face in his hands, but I can still see the bright red peeking out from behind his gloves.

"Julian..." I begin in a much more serious tone. "You know it's dangerous for you around here. It's not the same as being in South End..." I step forward and take his hands in mine. He squeezes them and looks down at me.

"I know, I know, it's just...I needed to be with you." His lips curl into a small smile, and it's my turn for my face to grow hot with embarrassment. "Granted, you weren't supposed to even know I was here. In and out all before you could be the wiser..." Julian's face looks wistful for a moment before he hides it behind a playful smirk of his own. "But that's not how it happened, and you've once again caught the thief in the night, breaking and entering. What ever will you do with me?"

I step back towards the stairs leading up to the small apartment above us. "You can stay with me tonight, Julian. I won't mind."

Julian swallows, his throat bobbing as he does it. "You're sure? Asra won't mind if...?"

"Asra's not here," I give him a reassuring smile. "Besides, I'm asking you to sleep beside me tonight, Julian. Not Asra."

He returns my smile and I see the tension leaving his shoulders as he follows me. I whisper for the lights to all go out again and lead up upstairs into the apartment. He holds my hand tightly as I lead him through the dark and into my bedroom. I pull back the covers and get in first, moving to the edge of the bed to give him plenty of room to crawl in after me. He kicks off his shoes and slips out of his coat before following.

Julian lays his head on my chest and wraps himself around me. It isn't long before we're a tangle of long legs and limbs and I can't help but let out a quiet laugh at our arrangement. He also laughs, but I can still feel how tense he is against me. My fingers find their way into his hair and I absentmindedly stroke through his curls, feeling the stress ebb from his body.

Feeling him against me, and the sensation of running my fingers through his hair...it also relieves me of my worries and anxieties I wasn't acutely aware of. But this feeling of relaxation washing over me...I almost don't want to follow it into the sleep it's lulling me into.

My fingers stop moving as I fall into a trance. Julian is already softly snoring against me when it happens. Both of us hold on to each other, letting go of our pasts and worries. We lay there with one another, finally at peace, even if only for a little while...


End file.
